Chapter 53: Who Awakens First from the Great Dream?

On the evening of the 5th, a major safety accident occurred at the Bishuiwan Estate in Gubei Town, Taoyuan City, Qinzhou. Police preliminary investigations suggest the incident resulted from maintenance personnel violating operating procedures, causing a high-voltage cable beneath the hotel to leak electricity, killing 36 people including hotel staff and guests. Next, please view the on-site interview...

The center of the screen showed the surging Taojiang River; a young man in a security uniform leaned against the garden railing, his eyes distant. Below, scrolling text gave a brief summary of the incident, and in the lower left corner, blue background with white text identified the interviewee:

Security guard of Bishuiwan Estate, Tian Chengyun.

He and Xie Yaoan were among the few survivors of the Bishuiwan Estate incident.

A hunched man in a short-sleeved vest and an orange vest sat on a small stool outside a breakfast shop, slurping rice noodles while watching the news on TV—a plain janitor having breakfast, a drop of noodle broth clinging to his faint stubble.

But across from this janitor sat a middle-aged man in casual attire, his clean, neat appearance and gentle demeanor clearly indicating he held a respectable status.

For instance, the absolute controlling shareholder of Xinyuan Real Estate Group.

Bai Fugui did not mind the noisy environment or subpar hygiene of the roadside shop; most customers were students rushing to school, and he enjoyed being around energetic youths, absorbing a little of the vitality he himself lacked.

The news on TV continued playing; the janitor sitting across from Bai Fugui chewed his noodles while listening intently.

Tian Chengyun, interviewed by the TV station, appeared uneasy on screen, speaking with slight stammering, but his account largely matched the news report: maintenance personnel mishandled equipment, exposing the cable and causing high-voltage leakage, resulting in the tragic death of 36 people; Tian Chengyun himself had merely left the estate to buy cigarettes in town and thus narrowly escaped.

【When I returned to the estate, the tragedy had already happened…】

Tian Chengyun ended his interview with this sentence.

The following news content was unremarkable—repeating routine safety tips about electricity use and promising a thorough investigation into the estate’s management system. Not a single word like “ghost” or “anomaly” appeared; it was presented entirely as an accident.

“Happy now? You didn’t kill anyone, didn’t find the Zhao You, and got Lei Te taken down—now I’m left to clean up your mess.” Bai Fugui lit a cigarette but didn’t smoke it, watching the milky smoke rise silently from his fingers: “Lost the wife and broke the soldier.”

The janitor finished his noodles, snatched the cigarette from Bai Fugui’s hand, and took a deep drag: “We underestimated him. Even though we still don’t know who he is, his taking away Zhao You wasn’t coincidence.”

“It’s you, not us,” Bai Fugui corrected. “Do you know how much I spent covering for you? Not even counting the cost to myself.”

“Isn’t that your job?” the janitor retorted.

Bai Fugui spread his hands. “Fine, you’re right.”

The janitor smiled.

Bai Fugui crossed his legs and continued: “So what now? If I remember right, you already sold Lei Te and collected your payment. Now that Lei Te is gone, how do you explain it to the buyer?”

“Tell the truth—I messed up. The ghost he wanted is gone. What else can I say?” The janitor seemed utterly unconcerned.

“I know that’s not what I’m asking,” Bai Fugui shook his head. “Do you know why the buyer accepted your price hike? Because he’s dying—he needs Lei Te to extend his life, just as you need Zhao You.”

“You took his money and lost the one thing keeping him alive. Believe me, he’ll pursue you to the death.” Bai Fugui added: “Just as you’ll pursue the one who took Zhao You to the death.”

Few things are more terrifying than a Transcender who has accepted death.

“I know,” the janitor crushed the cigarette butt into his soda can and stood from the stool. “So you have to help me. If the buyer truly plans one final move before dying, he’ll go after the one who subdued Lei Te—not me.”

Bai Fugui immediately understood: “Even so, you’d better be cautious. The buyer’s ability isn’t simple—after all, it’s compatible with ‘Lei Te’… You understand better than I do how rare the Instant Death Rule is.”

“Of course I understand better—far better,” the janitor said, picked up the broom leaning against the wall, and left the breakfast shop.

Leaving Bai Fugui to pay the bill.

“Hello, fifty jiao,” the shop owner came over, wiping her hands.

Bai Fugui paid and left the shop, strolling along the sparsely populated street. Gubei Town had few young people; most men and women in their twenties had left to work elsewhere. The peaceful town held only elderly elders and young children, as quiet as ever.

As quiet as ever.

“...”

Strange, surreal scenes receded like a tide, as if he’d dreamed a long dream. Ning Zhe’s consciousness stirred from a hazy void, eyes opening to see soft sunlight filtering through the blinds, gently spilling across his desk.

A thin summer quilt covered him—he’d clearly slept for a long time.

Ning Zhe turned his head. Sitting at the bedside desk was a quiet girl, her ink-black hair cascading over snow-white shoulders. One hand propped her chin, her legs neatly together, posture upright and reserved. Her pale fingers gently turned pages of cream-colored paper, producing a soft rustling sound.

She read intently, unaware that the person on the bed had woken.

Ning Zhe reached out and tapped the desk twice with his fingers—two crisp knocks.

“It’s wrong to go through someone else’s private things,” Ning Zhe said.

Bai Zhi jumped, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. She quickly gathered the scattered letters, stacked them in order, and placed both hands on her knees, sitting tense and stiff. A barely audible whisper escaped her lips: “S-sorry… I shouldn’t have looked through your things.”

“Huh?” Ning Zhe frowned, puzzled by her nervousness.

The Bai Zhi he’d met at Bishuiwan Estate hadn’t been like this—she’d been more straightforward, calm, not so easily startled.

“It’s fine. I read your diary without permission too. Consider us even.” Ning Zhe pulled back the quilt and sat up. “By the way, what time is it? Why are you at my house?”

Ning Zhe hadn’t woken up elsewhere—he was in his own room at his family’s old house, so the letters in the drawer were his private belongings.

Bai Zhi rolled up her sleeve to check her watch. “It’s 5:12 p.m.… June 6th. You slept nearly the whole day. Mom told me to stay here and wake her when you woke up.”

“So Mom brought me home. I’m surprised she even found my place.”

Ning Zhe glanced around the floor beside the bed but didn’t see his shoes. He was about to ask when Bai Zhi hurriedly rose from the desk and brought his shoes from the sunlit windowsill.

“Your shoes were bloody, and so were your pants and shirt. Mom washed them for you,” Bai Zhi said softly.

Ning Zhe thought back—it must have been the blood from beating Senior Li, the security chief, last night. He hadn’t paid it much mind, but Feng Yu had cleaned it up.

“How’s the Bishuiwan Estate situation? What about the ghost? Did your mom tell you?” Ning Zhe asked as he slipped on his shoes.

“What ghost?” Bai Zhi blinked, not understanding what he meant.

(End of Chapter)